betrayal, cautions himself against romantic
involvement with an employee. But the
chemistry between them is undeniable,
and neither has the ability to fight it for
long. Bennett creates appealing, amiable
lovers whose genuine affection for each
other convincingly conflicts with their
struggles to be true to their personal
goals. A fun cast of supporting characters,
including bickering brothers, a newly
adopted teenager, helpful girlfriends, and
a guide dog, add zest to this enjoyable
romance. (Dec.)

Size Matters

This mostly successful contemporary
romance, set somewhere in the American
South, piles on the appreciation for women
of size. Sam Cooper, a gorgeous contractor
with a sweet tooth, thinks bakery owner
Leah Martin is delightfully curvy, but
Leah keeps harping on her own weight, a
habit she learned from her blithely critical
mother, Nancy. To prove to Leah that
she’s desirable, Sam impulsively tells
Nancy that they’re engaged. Bliss’s
humorous writing extends to the title, a
double entendre referring as much to
Sam’s rumored tiny package as Leah’s
weight. Readers will cheer when Sam
goes after Nancy; he may have commitment issues, but he will not allow anyone
to dis his fake fiancée. Some sour moments
intrude: Bliss (Playing with Fire) definitely takes Leah’s self-deprecation over
the top, and an overused plot device sets
the final romantic conflict in motion.

Even so, two well-matched characters
finding love without too much angst
makes for a fun read. (Dec.)

How to Train Your Highlander

Christy English. Sourcebooks Casablanca,

$7.99 mass market (352p) ISBN 978-1-4926-

1293-3

English’s charming third installment inher early 19th-century Broadswords andBallrooms series (after How to Wed aWarrior) pairs up a hoydenish youngScottish woman and a proper Englishduke. Mary Elizabeth Waters’s familywants her to marry, but she is determinedto travel back to Scotland from London tolive out her days as a spinster. That deter-mination wavers when she meets thehandsome Harold “Harry” Charles Percy,Duke of Northumberland, after arrivingat his rural estate. The attraction betweenthe pair is mesmerizing from the start,even though Harry doesn’t correct MaryElizabeth’s assumption that he is just astable hand. Mary Elizabeth’s effervescentpersonality and her lust for life arerefreshing given her era’s expectations ofhighborn women. The fast-paced storyand the humorous and sensual love scenesmake up for some lack of character devel-opment. (Dec.)

Too Hot to Handle

A family road trip becomes a spring-board for love in the fun first Romancingthe Clarksons contemporary romanticcomedy, in which four estranged siblingsroad-trip acrossthe U. S. to honortheir mother’s lastwishes. When cartrouble strandsthe quartet inHurley, N.Mex.,chef Rita Clarksondiscovers anunexpectedattraction to sexy,infuriating barowner Jasper Ellis. The combination ofpersonality clashes and mutual desireleaves them floundering; Rita’s ready for awild fling, but Jasper is trying to leave hisraunchy days far behind. She can’t waitto move on from Hurley, while he wantsto settle down and open his new restau-rant. Luckily, their mutual love ofcooking helps them overcome their mis-understandings and whip up threecourses and a happy ending. Bailey(Wound Tight) crafts an entertaininglyspicy tale, with humor and palpablesexual tension fueling an otherwise con-ventional romance. This is quality com-fort food: unsophisticated, unpretentious,and satisfying for its familiarity. Agent:Laura Bradford, Laura Bradford Literary.(Dec.)

Hunt the Dawn

The pursuit of a serial killer becomes atwisted, macabre trip in Roads’s gritty,fantastical second Fatal Dreams romanticthriller (after Race the Darkness). LathanMontgomery is an FBI consultant with agenetic anomaly that burdens him withthe power to read people’s emotionsthrough their scent. He’s currentlytracking a serial killer nicknamed theStrategist, a quest that has brought himto rural Ohio. Waitress Evanee Brownsurvived a harsh childhood with hersexually abusive mother and stepfamily.Evanee suffers from nightmares, born oftrauma, that turn even more ominous asthe ghosts of the Strategist’s victimsreach out to her through a parallel uni-verse. Lathan and Evanee, caught up inthe serial killer’s orbit, become lovers,with a powerful physical connectionthat’s tied to a Native American spirit.Roads’s grim novel has ample suffering;it largely succeeds as a fantasy of goodversus evil, but its heavy-handeddepravity becomes tedious as the storyprogresses, and readers may look askanceat the use of Lathan’s paranormal abili-ties to balance out his hearing impair-ment. (Dec.)

Luke

R.C. Ryan. Forever, $7.99 mass market
(368p) ISBN 978-1-4555-9163-3

Ryan’s fine second Malloys of Montana
contemporary (after Matt) delivers on
all expectations. Luke Malloy is the
middle son, a wild child with a heart of
gold. Ingrid Larsen is a struggling
rancher with a spine of steel. When Luke
learns of threats to the Larsen ranch, he
doesn’t hesitate to step in. Ingrid’s cautious, dutiful nature makes her reluctant
to trust Luke’s gallantry, but she can’t
deny how much she needs a strong friend.
With help from the community and
Luke’s loving family, they stand together
to face every peril. Their relationship
starts with danger, and the suspense and
romantic tension never flag. Ryan creates
vivid characters against the lovingly
rendered backdrop of sweeping Montana
ranchlands. The passion between Ryan’s
protagonists, which they keep discreet,
is tender and heartwarming. The plot
is drawn in broad strokes, but Ryan
expertly brings it to a satisfying conclusion. (Dec.)